The Moon's Blessing
by ShadowEclipseMG
Summary: Story of an epic tale in the great land of Altea.
1. Prologue

Prologue  
The cloud-filled sky gave a melancholy aura to the battlefield below. Two armies poised against each other; fighting over land, honor, and pride; fighting for their families; fighting for their lives. Both lured into the same scheming and twisted fate. The heavens began to poor tears upon them while the gods rumbled in infuriated rage. The canyon echoed the near deafening claps of thunder. The dirt began to turn to mud and the fear of death was rising among the armies. The lead generals rode valiant horses in the front lines. Armed with swords, spears, and axes; they charged. Yells of courage sprang out as they ran at each other with increasing speed. Catapults and ballistae fired at each other. Men and women were flying left and right by the shockwave of the thrown boulders and giant bolts. Chaos sprang out as they climactically clashed their weapons into battle.  
Kiriai, a valiant swordsman, is the leader of a small portion of the army of Flora. He rushed into battle hastily and used his god-given sword with unmatched skill. The sword even seemed to glow amongst the dark armor worn by his comrades. Arrows then began to rain down from the cliffs above. Ambushed, Kiriai and a small band of guardsman quickly rushed up a small path that led to the top of the canyon. Lightning crashed down upon the path, making a tree fall in their way. The broken timber then began rolling down the path at an alarming rate, but Kiriai kept running at full speed. The tree came tumbling closer and closer until it was a mere spear- jest away, Kiriai jumped up sideways onto the side of the canyon. The thunder was of no fear of his when it crackled as he ran the side of the wall, passing the rolling tree. Some of the other guardsman managed to jump the tree; others were crushed alive or sent plummeting to the battle below.  
Nearing the top of the canyon, Kiriai jumped the last few feet and began taking out archers right and left while he still had the element of surprise. Kiriai's light armor clanked with the patter of the rain drops. His long white hair slung around flinging water in all directions as he fought with great speed. Kiriai slew many archers and didn't even take one injury.  
Upon success, he spun around to rejoin the battle when he was confronted by the army general himself. The general goes by the name "Purge" since he has killed many men and has destroyed vast armies even when he was outnumbered. Purge's extremely thick armor seemed to be a burden on his speed. He carried a massive axe that was double-headed and fiercely lethal. As Purge laughed at the sight of Kiriai's weaker stature, Purge threw an extremely powerful swing at Kiriai. Purge's axe hit the ground with a force so powerful that it threw Kiriai off his feet. Kiriai then rolled around the side of him and jumped up, springing around and clanking the thick armor with his razor-sharp sword. Amazingly, in a quick counter-attack, Purge managed to spin and kick Kiriai with his gargantuan greaves. Kiriai was knocked back a few steps and then the guardsmen rushed in on Purge. With one single horizontal swing, all of the guardsmen were either thrown off the side of the cliff or cut mercilessly in half by his axe. At the sight of this, rage filled Kiriai's blood and his sword began to glow with extreme intensity. Energy began gathering around the blade of Kiriai's sword. Then in one instant while Purge was still dealing with the guardsmen, Kiriai caught him off guard. He jumped into the air just as Purge was turning back around. The blow sent Purge's helm flying into the distance. When Kiriai landed, he noticed that he did not dish out a killing blow. Purge was still clasping his axe. Blood was running down Purge's face and a giant scar could be seen. The scar traveled up his face and through his left eye. Enraged, Purge then let out a heart-wrenching howl and went into a berserk combo of movements. The axe was being swung at an alarming rate of speed considering its size. The axe swung, struck the ground, spun, then lifted, and struck again. Amazed by the speed, Kiriai was beginning to panic. Kiriai was trying desperately to dodge them all when one struck him across the chest. Kiriai went flying into a tree from the impact and then tree then cracked and began to fall off the side of the cliff. Blood spewed out of Kiriai's mouth and rain was puncturing his wound and making pain run through his body.  
A tear I ran down Kiriai's face as images of his family came fluctuating through his thoughts. Time stood still as he remembered the peace home from which he came, his lovely and beautiful wife, his wonderful kids, and his father in a distant land. All of these memories slowly faded as time then began speeding up again and the tree plummeted to his grave.  
"No!" A boy screamed as he awoke from a heart-breaking nightmare, "Daddy! You can't die! No!" Tears were running down the boys face and cascading down onto the covers of the bed, "Don't die daddy! Please don't die!"  
As the thunder slowly began to die outside and the rain slowing, the boy's tears were still flowing like a river of grieving sadness. 


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1  
The trees sway with an elegant beauty and the fields dance with majestic breezes. The land seems to flow like the sea and aroma of cheerful flowers fills the senses of all who dwell in the plains. Blue skies and drifting clouds cover the dome of the heavens. Small villages are found sparsely across this land of paradise. Quiet lakes and trickling streams span their fingertips, gripping the peacefulness of Flora.  
One of the largest towns in this country, called Illia, is where we begin our story, with a young boy named Tai and his sister Lyn. Tai is fifteen years old and has a very stout heart. Tai is adept in the art of swordsmanship. He nicknamed his precious sword "Eclipse". His father was killed in a war not too long ago and Eclipse is the only remaining gesture of his father's to Tai. The sword is quite sharp and exceptionally light for a blade of its size. Eclipse is has a long and slender shape. Its' blade is slightly curved to make it cut through the wind faster. The sword has a comfortable handle and it makes it easy to grip. Tai has been training with the sword ever since he has received it from his father. Eclipse was sent with a letter while his father was at war. The letter read,  
Dearest Son,  
I am giving you this sword for you now, must protect your family. I am leaving this life with a single regret, that I will not see you  
become a man. I am sorry son, I give you this sword in remembrance of  
me. I only wish that you live a life filled with joy and  
happiness. I love you and I will always be with you. Never forget that.  
Always Together,  
Your Father  
Tai has always kept this letter in his heart. It is his passion that live undyingly within him. Tai takes up his sword to honor his father's name. One morning out in the fields of Tai's hometown of Illia, Lyn is practicing her archery as she normally is every other morning, when she is approached by her mother, Allia. Lyn's hair is a bright blue color as it sways in the cool breeze of the mornings embrace. As she pulls the arrow back and aims at the tree in the distance, Allia yells. Shocked, Lyn jumps and accidentally shoots the arrow in the wrong direction towards the cattle farm.  
Laughter follows when Lyn's mother walks up behind her and gives her a warm hug, "Nice shot!"  
Lyn giggles and glances over at the cattle farm once more then shrieks as a goat falls on its side, "Oh no! I killed our neighbor's goat!"  
Allia gasps in disbelief, "I am so sorry! Ugh!" She then hurries over to the neighbors house and tells them about the accident while Lyn quickly leaves the scene.  
Lyn dashes into the nearby woods and heads toward the river where Tai is usually training with his sword. She swims through the never-ending sea of branches and twigs as she nears the riverside. Once she notices Tai, she instantly clings to a tree as to be hiding from him. Lyn decides to watch Tai's skill from a distance. Tai is standing near the crystal-clear river as birds chirp overhead and his sword sheathed. Tai is wearing dark blue from head to toe, including his boots. His loose fitting tunic runs completely down to his wrists while flaring out a good two or three inches. Tai's sash is a snug fit which tightly binds his sheath to his body so as not to lose it. He is wearing comfortably fitting pants with a large piece of fabric running all the way from his waist to his ankles that hangs freely in both the front and the back. Lyn squints as light reflected for a moment from the silver metal circlet around Tai's head.  
Then, as if out of no where, Tai grabs his sword handle and swings outward. The joust was so sudden it made Lyn jump in astonishment. Tai then began a series of movement with the sword that almost made him seem like he was dancing majestically with the blade itself. His movements were quick and nimble, no flaws at all to his movements. Lyn just couldn't help but thinking how well he became in swordsmanship since he received that blade nearly four years ago. Tai's long white hair spun in the movements of his graceful dance.  
As Tai stopped, his sword was held out in front of him in clear sunlight. Lyn then began squinting because light was shining in her eyes. She noticed that every time she moved, the light would go back into her eyes even though Tai was standing still. Lyn then realized that he was aware of her presence.  
"Hey! How did you know I was here" Lyn shouted in disbelief as she came walking out of the bushes towards me.  
"You were breathing too loud." I said sarcastically. I then sheathed my sword and turned in her direction smiling.  
"Oh, really!" Lyn then pounced at me and pushing me into the river.  
  
We both fell in together. Once we emerged, I couldn't help but burst out in laughter. When we reached the shore, we sat along the riverbank basking in the glow of the sun's rays in order to dry off. It was a beautiful, cloudless sky with birds flying and the wind swaying at a steady rate. When I turned to my left to look at Lyn, I noticed that my little sister was beginning to grow on me. She was turning into a beautiful young girl. I was terrorized by the thought of that nasty kid down the street eyeballing her every time she walks by the house. I guess I am going to have to keep a watchful eye over her from now on.  
"Hey Tai?"  
"Yes?"  
"I was wondering... ..." Lyn paused for a few seconds and then began again, "What's it like loving someone?"  
My eyes shot open and my cheeks turned a rosy red, "Huh!!??!" What in the world could she be talking about?!  
"Since you and Jaina are an item I was ju..."  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait a second here! We are not together!"  
"Then what is with the glances you all give to each other every once in a while? I mean you all almost kissed that one time!"  
"I was going to give her mouth-to-mouth because she passed out after falling into the pond near her house!"  
"What's the difference?!"  
"Augh!" I then got up and began making my way back home. "You will never understand love!"  
"Oh yea!"  
Once I got out of sight of her, I began thinking to myself of why she was asking me that question to begin with! Then it hit me...she was beginning to like someone! That's just great. That is exactly what I need right now, a love-hungry sister who is always messing around with the boys. I mean, she is only one year younger than me! Why do I have to tell her everything? Hehehe...I just won't then. I will make her figure it out on her own.  
Later that night, I was sitting upstairs on the balcony outside my room reading a book on the roots of magic by candle-light. I had always found magic very interesting and I always wanted to learn how to use it. The minute I read that magic cannot be learned, but inherited, I couldn't help but being extremely depressed. Even though I can't conceive the magic, I can at least learn it just in case I have to battle against it in the future. "Know your opponent!", my dad always preached. So I guess that much has rubbed off on me.  
From my balcony, I overlooked Illia. It is a small town, but large compared to the other villages in the area. I considerably enjoy the size. I wouldn't want to live in an overcrowded city or in the wilderness all alone. This size suites me well and I have lived here all my life. Our town also has the only arena for miles. The arena is a large circular building with a stage in the center. It has been in the center of town for as long as I can remember. Competing in the coliseum is a normal activity. Every week there is a competition there for anyone who is between the ages of thirteen and forty. I have been in the tournament ever since I came of age. I have to admit that joining in on this event have honed the skills I posses as a swordsman. This is my sister's second year in the tournament. She was sadly disappointed when she found out that no ranged weapons were allowed in the arena. In this case, Lyn decided to take up daggers as a weapon of choice. Lyn uses two at a time, since she could afford a couple from Illian smithy.  
All the weapons include one-hand and two hand swords, spears, axes, daggers, scythes, hammers, and flails. All of these weapons seems to form, what is called, the war circle. This simply means that one weapon is considerably better than another. This means that someone can be found at a disadvantage if they find themselves on the end of a spear and the only thing they have is a dagger. Every weapon has its own strengths and weaknesses. Although there is a certain hierarchy that weapons posses, it is not wise to strictly trust to that rule. "Skill is the only thing that matters in the face of battle", at least that's what my father taught me.  
The competition consists of mini-tournaments before the final rounds begin. For each weapon tree, there is one tournament. The winner of each mini-tournament will move on to the final rounds of battle. Once the mini- tournaments are over, there will no longer be any same-weapon duels.  
Every once in a while, I will get the better of the most talented swordsman in the village and take her spot as champion in the mini- tournament for swordsmanship. The "Blade Mistress" as she has come to be known, is the absolute best with a short sword. So I am utterly surprised whenever I do beat her since she is so swift. No one really knows her real name. She wandered into town one day and built herself a small home on the outskirts of town. Only once have I ever seen her face, she looked oddly familiar. It seemed as though I had envisioned her in a dream I had once. I cannot remember what it was about or why I had this mysterious vision, but she was also with someone else; a man in dark clothing. I have yet to realize this until now. I wonder who she is and why she came to this humble town. I have always looked up to her swordsmanship. Maybe one day...I will know her better.  
I looked down into the front yard from my balcony and saw my mother there. She was out in the small garden that she had planted a few months back, just before the growing season started. I couldn't understand why she was out in the middle of the night in her garden. Mother must be gathering some food for next morning's breakfast. Just as that thought ran through my mind, I saw her stand up and begin walking back to the house with a basket full of vegetables and fruit. I could swear that sometimes I even scare myself with my unusual guessing abilities.  
When I turned back around to continue reading my book, I heard a yelp. I immediately spun around and began glancing all around our front yard. Then I noticed something that I couldn't help laugh at.  
"Mother! Ha ha! You need to pick the food when it is daylight or might end up on your face next time!" I shouted her as she was laying back- side flat on the ground. She seemed to have slipped on a fallen apple from a tree nearby.  
Mother got up and dusted off the back of her flowing casual dress, "Yes, but I nearly forgot to pick them! I don't want those pesky rabbits eating them all in the night."  
I smiled at her and replied, "Well, I guess you're right. Just be more careful next time."  
"Maybe next time I will catch us some bugs while I am on the ground. Then we will have a feast!"  
Disgusted at the words that just sprang from her mouth, my face warped in sickness, I jutted back, "That's gross mother! Get on in the house before you make the bugs revolt."  
Mother chuckled and walked into the house, keeping her eyes glued to the ground and jumping over all the apples clumsily.  
As I sigh in embarrassment, I looked up to the three moons in the sky, each with their own significant color-red, which is Leira, light blue, Aquaire, and white, Crytal-, I think of what tomorrow brings. The tournament begins and the anniversary of my father's death two years ago; both a dark and a light side of tomorrow. I just hope whatever the next day brings; I can look back on it and be proud. 


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
Morning came to quickly and it seemed like I didn't get a wink of sleep. The sun was already opening my eyelids. It seems that I had fallen asleep out on my balcony. I was positioned with my back against the wall and my book in my hand and the candle had burned all the wax down to the candle holder. As I looked out onto the sunrise, my eyes instantly closed because of the bright sun. I rubbed my eyes and gave myself a few minutes to come to reality before I even attempted on standing up.  
I stumbled down the finely cut, wooden stairs to see that my mom was already up and making breakfast over the fireplace. The crisp aroma of sizzling bacon entered my senses. As my mouth began to water, I plopped down at the table waiting to be served.  
"You must have had a rough night's sleep." Mom whispered to me so not to wake Lyn, "Breakfast will be ready in about ten minutes. Would you go and see if any letters have arrived? I need to know if your grandma made it safely back home from visiting us this passed week."  
I moaned and slowly walked my way to the front door. The birds were chirping loudly now. They began to hurt my ears. My mind was then becoming focused on shutting those birds up one by one. I walked out into our yard and down the thin cobblestone path that led to the main road to town square. Our front yard was small, like everything else's in this town. Once I reached the postbox, I looked down the street and saw one my friends coming towards me.  
"Hey, Tai!" My friend yelled from the short distance away.  
"Hey, Kirin..." I mumbled under my breath. It was just far too early for intelligent speech...or speech at all.  
"Whoa, you look really tired. Are you going to be up to the tournament today?" Kirin proclaimed as he was polishing his axe.  
Kirin is a pretty cool guy. I have been friends with him since I was a kid. He taught himself how to use his axe that he inherited from his grandfather. His grandfather named it "Luce". The word "luce" actually comes from a spell that is an extremely powerful exorcizing technique. It completely decimates any evil and the spell itself has explosive results. Of course, I don't know if that axe actually has that power. Somehow I figure that if it did, Kirin wouldn't be able to comprehend it. I mean, Kirin isn't exactly the person who would cherish something that is given to him. He is always ready to spill some blood on any situation. I am sort of Kirin's mediator...just to keep his hot-head cooled long enough to think rationally. Don't get me wrong, I love fighting and all, but I have never hurt anyone with any weapon to actually make them bleed, with the exception of my own foolish mistakes of injuring myself.  
Kirin was wearing his usual battle gear. He had two silver shoulder plates that kept his green cape attached to him. Kirin's muscular physique was hidden behind a bright silver breast plate that had many decorative designs when seen up close. His cape seems to almost enclose him as if it were a robe covering the rest of his body. Kirin's leg plates were the corresponding color to his upper body armor. Kirin's hair was a forest green and it came down to his jaw on both sides of his head. Luce was hanging typically from the grasp of his right hand. Its large body was stretching from his waist to his knees. Luce was a two-handed axe that would smite anyone who felt its razor sharp bones. Along with it being double-headed on both sides of the axe, it is much heavier than any of the other weapons of choice in the tournament, besides hammers.  
"Hello? Snap out of it!" Kirin shouted as he slapped me lightly on the cheek with his knuckle-gloves.  
"Huh?!" I murmured as I drifted back into consciousness. "Oh, sorry! I must have dosed off."  
"Apparently! Now let's get going so we can scope out our prey!" He said with a hint of mischief and a sparkle in his eye.  
"Alright, just let me grab Eclipse and I will be right behind you."  
I rushed off into the house. I must have woken up after than brief nap I had. Once I took a step inside I grabbed my sword and saw that Lyn was up eating at the table. In a mad dash, I zoomed around the kitchen and grabbed a plate of bacon and out the door again.  
"Hey! Where are you going so fast?" Lyn yelled as I was already out the door. "Wait for me!"  
Once we began a steady walk to the coliseum, I strapped my sword to my sash and started inhaling my breakfast.  
"Hey man, slow down! You don't want to get sick half-way through the match do you?"  
"You're right!" I managed to say with my mouth stuffed with half- chilled breakfast.  
I took the final gulp of food and sat the plate down on a rock right beside the main path to town square. I just hope I don't accidentally forget the plate on the way back or I would have to explain to my mother about my mistake, which would probably end with screaming. The sun was over the hills in the distance now and it was going to be another beautiful day in Illia. The wind was blowing against my white hair giving me a cool sensation from head to toe. The breeze was very relaxing since I had just emerged from the warmness of our home's kitchen.  
"So Tai..." Kirin blurted out unexpectedly. I turned to my left to look at him having to tilt my head a little ways upward since he stood a few inches taller than me. Even though Kirin is only half a year older, he still looks like a giant to me in more ways than just height. Kirin then continued saying, "do you think that we will stand a chance this time? I mean, last time we had rather steep competition."  
"Are you worried Kirin? It seems that you are a little afraid of going into this tournament today!" I jested.  
"Hey! I just don't want to hurt all those pretty girls in the axe competition. They just came of age to compete and I don't want to embarrass them."  
"Oh, really?"  
The second those words left my mouth I heard a shout from behind.  
"Hey, Tai! Kirin! Wait for me!" It was Lyn...of course.  
We both stopped and turned around slowly. Lyn was jogging towards us. Her daggers were in their usual place, one positioned close to the back of the neck where a casual short sword's handle would be free to grasp, the other positioned with the handle facing the opposite direction around her waist. Lyn was dressed in her brown skirt and leather armor that covered her chest and back. Although her armor was sleeveless, she had leather gloves that had a metal strip that ran down the ulna-side of her arm. The gloves were used as a guard so that she can block freely without using a shield. Lyn's boots were making light patting sounds on the ground and you could hear her daggers clanking in their sheathes. Her hair was put back in a pony-tail and the gathering point was positioned high on the top of her head so that the freely hanging strand could still move, but not get in the way of her attacks. Another one of Lyn's beauty techniques was to have two strands of hair that wasn't gathered into the band of the pony-tail, dangle down across her face. I don't exactly understand why she does it...but I have to admit it looks pretty nice. Wait a minute...no! Its all wrong! She is just growing up too fast. Why am I the one dreading this so much anyway?!  
"Hey, Lyn! It's good to see you again!" Kirin spoke out to her.  
As Lyn came to a stop she replied, "You too! I can't wait for the tournament to begin"  
All three of us then resumed the walking. We were growing closer to the town square when I noticed everyone was gathering beside the fountain in the core of the square.  
"What's going on?" Lyn questioned.  
"Looks like a fight!" Kirin shouted as his walk began to accelerate into a run. "Let's go check it out!"  
I slapped my own face and sighed. "Why are we always trying to get into trouble?' I thought to myself as I follow Kirin and Lyn down the winding path.  
Once we approached the square, I noticed that two people we in the center of a large crowd of people. I tried pushing my way through the crowd to no avail. I was desperately looking for a way to get passed everyone. I jumped up onto the side of the stone fountain and looked over everyone's heads. What I saw was nothing too surprising. It was my other friend, Morrina; she is a tough girl whose arch-rival is always picking fights with her and vise versa. Morrina had her scythe out and ready to strike. Although her enemy, Ire, is a one of those bullies who always push their way through everything. His dagger has Morrina at a disadvantage in battle. Since the dagger is quick and nimble, there is not much a scythe can do to counteract the blade's speed. The battle would be extremely intense, especially in Morrina's position. Morrina has a great deal of technique and skill over Ire, but he has much more of a direct ability on getting the best of her.  
I decided to go ahead and save the fight for the tournament so I jumped higher up onto the fountain. Bracing myself, I took a few steps backwards and leaped over the ten-people-thick crowd. I was kind of shocked at how high I had actually jumped and panicked a little. Once I hit the ground, however, I barely flinched.  
"Ok you two! Save the fighting for the competition today! No use and letting some quarrel get in the way of real fun, now is it?!"  
"Can it Tai, I am going to take him out!" Morrina yelled and began to charge.  
I took a step back and put one hand reliantly on the handle of Eclipse. Morrina took a swing at Ire and was instantly dodged. The swing left Morrina open and Ire took quick leap that churned up dirt into the air behind him. Morrina jumped up into the air doing a perfect back flip and landing with one knee on the stone ground. Ire lifted the dagger over his head and slammed it downward to Morrina. My eyes shot wide open at the thought of Morrina getting cut up by the devilish sharpness of the keen dagger. I flew quickly to where the dagger would hit the strike her and stood right beside Ire. I drew my sword quickly and struck the blade of the dagger, making Ire jolt back in astonishment. I stood between Morrina and Ire just to be sure that they didn't begin the fighting again.  
"We will see if your friend will be there to save you during the competition today." Ire chuckled. "Trust me, I won't be going easy on you then. So you better be ready Morrina!"  
"Shut the hell up you bastard!" Morrina scolded as she ran towards him, scythe in the air.  
"I think you have had quite enough!" Kirin shouted as he grabbed Morrina around the waste, stopping Morrina in her tracks. "Listen to me! I don't think it would be wise for you to go and hurt him now! Especially since all of these people are watching!"  
"Ugh, shut up and get out of my way!"  
Kirin's grip grew tighter, "Morrina! Someone may report you to the town guard if you do hurt him!"  
"Ha! I don't need you wimps to protect me! Come on guys! Let's teach them a lesson!" Ire yelled as his friends rushed to the scene.  
Three of his cohorts came running to the town square. One of them named Sirius, he use to be my friend up until the day that he betrayed me. Sirius' Claymore sword was about the same length as him. The other two were also carrying weapons. Janus was carrying a spear and Leera was carrying a hatchet.  
Now we had ourselves a stand-off. Morrina, Kirin, Lyn, and I were standing across from Ire, Sirius, Janus, and Leera, ready for battle. Silence gripped the crowd and all of our weapons were drawn. I shot an evil glare at Sirius. Sirius had already noticed me and was standing directly across from where I was standing. Lyn was to my left and Morrina was at my right with Kirin on the far side of Morrina. I began to realize that not only would I get in serious trouble if I engaged in combat in the center of town, but I would also be sent to our town's small and terrifying prison.  
"Listen guys, I am not ready for jail and I am sure tha..." I didn't even manage to finish my sentence before Sirius charged at me.  
"Here I come, Tai!" Sirius taunted.  
My eyes shot wide open at the sight of him rushing at me with that massive sword. Sirius swung the sword at me and it clanked onto the ground. I rolled to the side of him and swung horizontally to cut his side. Sirius then slid the Claymore to his left and stepped forward, making my swing hi his sword. He then threw a quick jest at me. I bent backwards as far as I could to dodge it, the stab would have hit me in the chest. I dropped to the ground and swept Sirius off his feet. He fell on his back with a loud thud.  
The other three of Sirius' friends rushed in quickly to his aid, as did mine from my backside. Lyn jumped into the air with each hand grasping one dagger. As Lyn descended, she struck Leera's hatchet with both daggers, making it spin out of her hands. Leera screamed in fear for her life, but Lyn gave her mercy and kicked her to the ground.  
Morrina raised her scythe into the air as she charged at Ire. As she struck, a clank from the cobblestones left her arms shaking in recoil. Ire had dodged the attack and grabbed her right arm, twisted it behind her and held the dagger to Morrina's throat. Morrina's scythe was still poking out of the ground where she had attempted to attack Ire. She grabbed Ire's hand and wrapped her leg around his. Ire was then thrown over the side of her and plopped onto the ground. Morrina stepped heavily onto Ire's dagger hand and the dagger was released.  
Janus was then nearing Kirin with his spear. He swept at Kirin's feet in order to trip him, but Kirin had jumped into the air, dodging the swing. While in the air, Kirin swung Luce around nearly lobbing off Janus' head. He bent down on one knee to evade the attack. Upon landing, Kirin was shoved off balance and flipped backwards in the air. Janus had propped the dull-end of his spear under Kirin's foot and then lifted it up, making Kirin flip through the air. Kirin landed face first onto the ground. Janus then positioned his spear at the side of Kirin's throat.  
"Hold it right there!" A woman yelled from the distance. The voice seemed familiar...but it was so hard to decipher that I couldn't figure it out.  
Everyone was looking around desperately for where the voice had come from. Upon hearing the voice again, we then realized where it was coming from. We all looked to the skies to see two women riding a Unisus. This is a type of Pegasus, except much smaller and it is much like its land counterpart, the Unicorn. It is very agile and dexterous in the air, but extremely vulnerable to all forms of attacks. The woman riding in the back I recognized almost immediately. It was Jaina. She was riding on her sister's Unisus. Jaina's sister, Koral, is a leader of a unit called "Sky Raiders". They keep the peace in our town. The military unit consists of dragons, wyverns, Pegasai, Unisai, gryphon, and hypogryph. All of which differentiate from each other.  
Koral flew downwards into the square lines with regular two story town houses and paths leading outward in all directions. Her Unisus landed majestically upon the cobblestone earth.  
"All of you disarm your weapons immediately or I will be forced to do it for you!" Koral ordered. We all knew of her great magical abilities. Simultaneously, every one of us disarmed. "Good, due to your cooperation and the tournament going on today, I will denounce this offense as a warning. This will be your last so do not flirt with it. If you are caught doing this again in the town borders, you shall receive full punishment." Quickly changing tones she continued, "Ok, well see everyone at the tournament today!"  
"I will get off here." Jaina said with a hint of annoyance in her voice. She flung her body from the Unisus and walked off waving good bye to Koral, "See you in about an hour!"  
"Ok, little sister! Good luck everyone!"  
The Unisus' wings kicked up dirt into the air as it took off. The crowd then began making their way toward the arena. I looked down at Sirius and offered him a hand-up. Sirius shot me a glare and got up himself, refusing the assistance. The rest of his pack of wolves walked off in defeat and left the just the five of us in the square. I looked to my left and saw Kirin getting up from the ground.  
"What happened Kirin?" I asked with a bit of laughter in my voice.  
"Oh, shut up Tai! Not everyone is as fast as you!" Kirin snapped.  
"Did I just hear a confession?" Morrina laughed.  
"Yeah, I think our big bad axe wielder just admitted a defeat! I am shocked!" Lyn joined in.  
"You guys better stop it or I will have to sharpen my axe on your raw meatless bones!" Kirin shouted.  
"Oh, so now your big and brawny man?! I thought you were just confessing to a fault...now you are bragging?" I jested.  
"Grrr! Shut up!" Kirin screamed at the top of his voice.  
Everyone grew silent for a few seconds and we glanced at each other. Then, with a sudden break in the silence, the four of us burst out laughing. Lyn was rolling on the ground and Morrina was holding her sides. I was laughing so hard that tears were running down my cheeks.  
"You...you should have seen yourself just then, Kirin!" Jaina spoke in the midst of her laughter, "Your face was so red that it could have passed for sun burn! Plus...plus your face was priceless!"  
Kirin put his hand over his face. As the laughter died down, we noticed that he, too, had started laughing. Once we put ourselves together, we began our walk to the arena for the first rounds. I am just glad that no one was injured in today's battle. The day was still young and there is still much more to do. I can't wait until the tournament begins!  
  
A man was peering around the corner as the five walked by him. The man was wearing a hooded cloak and none of his face could be seen. He peered at Tai's sword in amazement and thoughts and memories began filling his mind. The man was hidden in the shadows of a nearby alley. A smile made its residence across the man's face. He admired from afar the quickness of Tai's abilities. The man then spoke to himself, "This boy has much to learn. Although, his skill is near perfect when it comes to style and accuracy, it reminds me of someone. I must watch this boy's progress in the tournament. Tai...yes...it sounds so familiar now. I need to see if I can make him worthy of that sword of his. Tai has an extreme amount of power that is yet untapped." The man's attention then went towards Lyn. More thoughts then fabricated through his mind, "Her too! She must be Tai's sister. Yes...a match indeed. This may turn out to be the help we need to win this eternal fight. I must speak to them...I need to recruit them. This is too easy!"  
The cloaked man then walked off silently back into the depths of the alley. 


End file.
